1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for sorting fruits, vegetables or the like by various grades of weight by putting them piece by piece on baskets.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Heretofore apparatuses of two types have been employed in general in sorting fruits and vegetables by weight. On one type of such conventional apparatuses, many balances with receiving backet-like baskets having a Roberval mechanism are mounted on and evenly spaced along an endless travelling chain to form a basket conveyer. Along one side of the travelling path of the baskets of the conveyer, a lever balance is fixedly provided at each of discharge positions which are allocated to sorting grades predetermined for a fruit or a vegetable for sorting by weight, such as 3L, 2L, L, M, S, 2S and 3S. In the other type, a Roberval mechanism is formed at the mounting frame of each receiving basket. The mounting frames are mounted on mounting metal members provided between two lines of chain to form a basket conveyer of the traction type. The baskets of the conveyer are allowed to travel over balances arranged for different grades of weight and are fixedly provided at discharge positions allocated to the different grades. At these lever balances, the baskets are balanced against weights set for the different grades. Through this balancing process, the baskets descend and hang down to have the fruit or vegetable sorted by weight. Since the receiving baskets which are arranged to put the fruit or vegetable thereon are mounted by a Roberval mechanism, the conventional apparatuses have many links and fulcrums for mounting the receiving baskets. The resistance of contacting parts of one basket differs from that of another basket while hundreds of baskets are used for each unit of the sorting apparatus. These baskets and 6 to 8 stationary balances which are provided for different sorting grades must be adjusted to a uniform sensitivity. However, such adjustment requires much labor. Hence, the conventional apparatuses tend to be used without adequate adjustment. The inadequate adjustment naturally has resulted in unsatisfactory sorting.
It has been another shortcoming of the conventional sorting apparatuses that the complex structure of the baskets tends to cause them to get out of order.
This invention is directed to the elimination of these shortcomings of the conventional sorting apparatuses by utilizing the recently advanced technology of electronics applied to and embodied in measuring instruments, which are capable of covering a wide ranged values of weight through a very slight degree of displacement of a weighing receiver plate.